It Is Done!

[JustJames]

Planet X Kaffenback frame and (disc specific) fork.

Campag Veloce compact with 13-29 cassette

Wheels built on Novatec hubs with Pillar spokes and DT Swiss rims

Avid BB7 Road brakes

Conti CX tyres

Brooks B17 Narrow saddle

Not the lightest bike in the world, but rides very nicely. Tomorrow (Wed) it does its first commute between Chatswood and Brookvale.

[Reman]

Need more pics and where's the washing basket and/or cat!

Any tips for when I start putting mine together?

[JustJames]

No cat, and the blue-tongued lizard that lives a few metres behind where I stood to take the pic is very shy.

Adrian_d has the trademark on washing baskets.

Tips? Once you've got everything together, it will all come together really quickly.

[Reman]

Just noticed the red bolts on the disc rotors, very nice touch! But you have yellow presta caps!

Good to see its ready for the Spring Cycle, might need to meet up somI can check it out in person?

[adrian_d]

No cat, and the blue-tongued lizard that lives a few metres behind where I stood to take the pic is very shy.

Adrian_d has the trademark on washing baskets.

Tips? Once you've got everything together, it will all come together really quickly.

Checkmate haha. And Patent Pending too. I'm hoping to get my own line of Bicycle suitable baskets in the near future. Perfect for storing recently worn (and in my case soiled due to my high frequency of falling while standing still lol) jerseys/bibs.

That bike looks unreal. The red in accents are light, but enough to make a very big impact. LOVE IT

[JustJames]

Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, I know, yellow valve covers and I've never led the TdF.

Some suitable red anodised alu bling is deffinly called for!

[rkelsen]

Nice one James. Well done.

[jasonc]

Nice one James. Well done.

+1

[open roader]

Nice one James. Well done.

+1

+1

I want to see a close up of the front caliper/fork mounting set up......

[Nobody]

Nice colour matched bike.

The front brake cable looks a bit tight in the photo. Did you run out of cable outer or is it just an optical illusion?

[Mulger bill]

...And very nicely too

[DaveOZ]

Looks fantastic James, well done on the build. I still think you need mudguards and rack with panniers. Mine is setup this way and it makes commuting so much easier. I've also given up on the CX tyres and run slicks now. I have a second set of wheels with CX tyres for off road but TBH, I don't use them much. Must built up a full rigid 29er for the fire trails.

[queequeg]

Looks fantastic James, well done on the build. I still think you need mudguards and rack with panniers. Mine is setup this way and it makes commuting so much easier. I've also given up on the CX tyres and run slicks now. I have a second set of wheels with CX tyres for off road but TBH, I don't use them much. Must built up a full rigid 29er for the fire trails.

Yeah, I am eyeing off a Lynskey Pro29 for my 40th next year, subject to approval from the CFO! I Already have the wheels off my Cooper CX, so maybe I can smuggle the bike in piece by piece

[Ken Ho]

Nice ride. Make sure it does not get stolen. There is a guy on Transitions that had a new Pinny nicked yesterday feeling very butt hurt.

[JustJames]

Thanks all, for the kind words.

@Nobody, re front cable outer length...it is a whisker shorter than I would have liked. You know how you're supposed to measure twice and cut once? I cut once too many when I was eyeballing the length. That said, because the fork turns with the bars (no....really?!) the cable never gets any shorter so it works out ok.

@DaveOZ re: full commuter kit. Nope. For the foreseeable future I am only commuting once per week, so I just take a change of clothing into work the day before. I want this bike to be a ready-for-anything bike, so when I want to take a short ride with Mini-Me (age very nearly 9) to go and get an ice cream I won't want pannier racks. I've enjoyed the build so much I'm already plotting next winters project...which will be a single speed 69'er.

This morning was the first commute. Nothing fell off, which is always a bonus. The Brooks saddle was comfortable, and I think it will get better yet. There is some toe overlap which I need to get used to at very slow speeds. The brakes are good, and possibly even improving as the pads bed in. Dropped the chain once moving onto the small ring, but that's easily sorted. I'll need to re-dish the rear wheel 'cause there is very little clearance on the left chain stay, and a small amount of rub when I start a wheelie (although no rub in regular riding).

[silentbutdeadly]

Nicely done...though your saddle bag is upside down. Otherwise, it's alittle fussy for my taste but I do like that Kaffenback frame.

Just an aside about the tyres. I've also moved from knobby CX (Schwalbe Racing Ralph) to a touring tyre (Vittoria Randonneur Cross) with big reduction in rolling resistance but not much downside in off road - even on the sandy stuff and running 60 psi as opposed to 40 psi on the RR. The Vittoria folders are true bastards to fit but they make for a better cross commuter tyre.

[JustJames]

Nicely done...though your saddle bag is upside down.

Yeah, I noticed that this morning when I opened it and something fell out of the back pocket. Ever self assured I cursed "Why the hell did they stitch that pocket upside down! And what's this...the logo is upside down too. Oh..."

[find_bruce]

Inspiring thread JustJames - that is fairly close to my ideal commuter.

[jasonc]

Nicely done...though your saddle bag is upside down.

Yeah, I noticed that this morning when I opened it and something fell out of the back pocket. Ever self assured I cursed "Why the hell did they stitch that pocket upside down! And what's this...the logo is upside down too. Oh..."

probably looks the right way up when you're doing wheelies

[DaveOZ]

Well, how did it ride?

[JustJames]

Very nicely as it turns out.

The combined effect of frame, tyres and wheels is to deliver a very comfy ride. Wheelbase is short, so I have to watch out for toe overlap at low speeds. It's considerably more sprightly than SWMBO's MTB, and picks up speed nicely. The brakes are noisy but way more effective than when newly installed. (No shirt Sherlock!). I love the Land Rover-esque buzz of the CX tyres when speed picks up.

I need to re-dish the rear wheel, 'cause there's minimal clearance on the LHS chain stay. I'll leave it as it is for Sunday's Spring Cycle, just in case re-dishing leads to some disastrous and unexpected pooch-screwing catastrophe.

Having ridden for 2 x 50 minutes, the saddle (Brooks B17 Narrow) caused no discomfort issues.

All in all, very pleased with it indeed.

I'm already considering doing a lightweight wheel build so I can swap wheels on a whim to [wishful thinking] transform the bike from CX-ish super commuter during the week to speedy disc braked roadie on weekends [/wishful thinking].

[silentbutdeadly]

Nicely done...though your saddle bag is upside down.

Yeah, I noticed that this morning when I opened it and something fell out of the back pocket. Ever self assured I cursed "Why the hell did they stitch that pocket upside down! And what's this...the logo is upside down too. Oh..."

How else do you think that I knew it was upside down?

[JustJames]

How else do you think that I knew it was upside down?

Pffft.

I can still out-numbnuts you, silent, 'cause I have the small version of the same saddlebag on my MTB, the right way up, and I still managed to get it wrong on this bike.